Nokia, Sony, and Ericsson pull out of MWC 2021 over Coronavirus concerns
MWC has the first major trade show to get canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic last year. Weeks before the show was canceled entirely by the GSMA, several companies announced that they would not be part of the event over health concerns. Although the pandemic has now slowed down and vaccinations have started in many countries, it looks like MWC 2021 may suffer the same fate.
Even though the event is set to take place in June, a few companies have already started to bail on MWC 2021 Barcelona. While only a handful of companies have pulled out of MWC 2021 so far, more companies are likely to follow suit in the coming weeks. Just like 2020, most companies may announce the successors to their best Android phones at virtual events this year.
Here's the list of all the big names that won't be attending MWC 2021 Barcelona:
Nokia
Nokia has announced that it won't have a physical presence at MWC 2021 to ensure the safety of its employees, customers and partners. The company will instead participate only in the virtual event this year.
.@nokia out at #MWC21 pic.twitter.com/PXlR1jgQnp.@nokia out at #MWC21 pic.twitter.com/PXlR1jgQnp— Patrick Moorhead (@PatrickMoorhead) March 10, 2021March 10, 2021
Ericsson
Swedish telecom networking giant Ericsson, which is usually one of the biggest exhibitors at the trade show, announced earlier this week that it will not attend MWC 2021 due to the pandemic.
Sony
The only Android OEM to have dropped out of MWC 2021 so far is Sony. Just like last year, the company plans to hold virtual events to introduce its latest products, instead of participating in MWC 2021.
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